venting a dryer in a basement
Is it safe (and a good idea) to vent an electric dryer in a basement to the main sewer vent. We’re thinking of putting an electric dryer in the basement but to vent it we’d either have to cut through the foundation (too hard and probably not a good idea) or find another way to…
Is it safe (and a good idea) to vent an electric dryer in a basement to the main sewer vent.
We’re thinking of putting an electric dryer in the basement but to vent it we’d either have to cut through the foundation (too hard and probably not a good idea) or find another way to vent so the humid air doesn’t empty into the basement. There is an upside down elbow shaped pipenext to to the stoop that is a vent from the main sewer line. Could this be used as a vent line (withs some sort of one way flap in the vent tube so stinky gas wouldn’t come back into the dryer/basement)?
If MasterPlumber still posts, his views would be appreciated.
cmu, the effects of CO gas are only recently being identified.
The low levels we are used to living with and have been told are “safe” are now being attributed to the cause of certain ailments like Alzheimer’s and even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
It takes a lot of CO gas to kill a healthy adult, but long term low level exposure is now being thought to have lasting effects, presenting themselves later in life.
There is a ton of training out there these days for the people in my field on how to find and limit the sources of CO.
Taking any single course will scare the heck out of you.
There is talk among the building trades about writing some venting laws for cooking equipment into all local codes.
I believe we will see this happen in the not-so-distant future.
All of that said, a typical store-bought CO alarm does not sound a warning at the low levels it would detect coming from a typical dryer or cooking range.
This also is changing. There are many new models of CO alarms that start warning at 10 parts per million (ppm) in the air as opposed to the 400ppm that used to be the norm.
Curiosity question about venting. A gas range is about 9kbtu/burner; so if you have 2 burners or 1 burner+oven on, it’s producing the same products of combustion as a dryer, and it’s never vented.
So why are we not dying like flies of CO poisoning, particularly on Thanksgiving day with 8 hours of cooking?
Also: my basement dryer exhaust came apart (don’t know when, but I fixed it) and the CO monitor (which does work) 10 ft away never beeped.
Could it be that the dangers of CO from a dryer are exaggerated?
I thought dryer vents are usually 4″ pipes requiring 4.5″ holes…
I personally wouldnt want to go drilling 4-4.5″ holes in MY 120 year old foundation… not sure what your house is like though.
I don’t think punching that small a hole (3″) through the bottom of the wall with the appropriate tool is a big deal. We will be doing this for similar applications shortly in our place. Done by a professional obviously…
Here’s a suggestion if you don’t want to punch a hole in your foundation or your ceiling/floors/walls:
Get a condenser dryer.
It doesn’t require venting. It takes the moisture out of the humid air similarly to how a dehumidifier functions and it drains the water straight into your waste drain.
Full disclosure: it does take quite a bit longer than a vented dryer though.
Also, if you need a washer, there are all-in-one models that wash and dry without having to change the clothes from one machine to another. LG makes a high-capacity one.
I’ve also heard good things about the Bosch ones, however they are a bit more expensive than the LG.
Thank you Master Plvmber. That’s what I thought – I did consider the potential for rats, which I thought could be a problem, and lint build up…
Sf beat me to it.
It is in fact illegal and a bad idea.
The pipe you’re referring to is actually a Fresh Air Inlet (FAI) and allows the trap to run smoothly.
When accummulated lint from a dryer gets wet, it becomes something that does not easily move through a drain pipe. You also don’t want it clogging up the FAI, which is full of moisture.
One more thing: NYC sewers are filled with rats. When we need to send a camera into a home’s sewer line we often see them scurrying away from the lights of the camera.
Making another connection to that pipe inside the house might very well give the rats a way in.
I can tell you right away that is not a good idea and is likely illegal.